Digital Commons Network^™

Bioactive Peptides From The Cucurbitaceae Family: From Identification And Health-Promoting Functions To Industrial Utilization, Himani R. Kekiri Obada Gamage, Mahya Bahmani, Utpal Bose, Mekhala Vithana, Michelle L. Colgrave, Angéla Juhász

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Cucurbitaceae is a major plant family within the kingdom Plantae, encompassing popular food crops such as zucchini, squash, pumpkins, and melons. With the growing interest in discovering novel bioactive peptides (BPs) from various plant sources, Cucurbitaceae crops have emerged as a popular candidate for isolating nutrient-enriched peptides due to their diverse applications in the nutritional and pharmaceutical sectors, with experimentally evidenced antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. However, current investigations are limited to a few economically important species and are seed-centric within this family, with limited in vivo and clinical validations for their in vitro functional properties. In this review, …

Comparing User Experiences Of Teleportation, Slide-Walk, And Walk-In-Place Locomotion Across Two Virtual Reality Games, Shane L. Rogers, Brett Ryder, Stephen Palmisano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Virtual reality (VR) locomotion methods differ substantially in their implications for usability, presence, and comfort. Although previous research has compared a range of locomotion techniques, relatively little attention has been given to whether locomotion experiences generalise across different VR experiences. The present study compared user experiences of three locomotion methods (teleportation, slide-walk, and walk-in-place) across two VR applications (Nature Treks VR, an exploration-focused environment, and Ancient Dungeon VR, an action-oriented game). Sixty-three participants were recruited, with analyses based on the forty-five participants who completed all study conditions. During each 10-min condition (comprising a 2-min familiarisation period followed by an 8-min …

Global, Regional, And National Burden Of Road Injuries 1990–2023: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Gbd 2023 Road Injuries Collaborators, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Road injuries are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Years of international efforts have aimed to strengthen policy engagement, including the 2020 UN General Assembly's proclamation of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–30), targeting a 50% reduction in road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The aim of this study is to provide estimates to monitor progress and identify intervention gaps.

Methods: As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023, we estimated incidence, mortality, and morbidity of road injuries for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to …

Migrant Background Youth And Hazardous Drinking: Drinking To Fit Into Australian Society?, Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong, Justine Dandy, Amanda M. George

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: In this study, we proposed that migrant youth might have acculturation reasons to drink alcohol and explored the role of acculturative gap conflict and perceived drinking culture in predicting hazardous drinking. We examined proximal acculturation reasons for drinking in terms of drinking to fit into Australian culture and drinking to cope with parental/community expectations.

Methods: We conducted an online survey with 470 participants (age range 18–25 years). Data from those who reported having tried alcohol (n = 383; 65% female, 71% born in Australia) were analysed. We grouped participants under those who came from similar alcohol consumption environments to …

New Zealand Osteopaths And The Management Of Older Adults: Outcomes From A Practice-Based Research Network, Ana Paula Antunes Ferreira, Michael Fleischmann, Lee Muddle, Jack Feehan, Kesava Kovanur Sampath, Brett Vaughan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Older adults represent a growing proportion of healthcare consumers, and yet little is known about the osteopathic practitioners who regularly manage this population. This study set out to understand what characteristics are common among New Zealand osteopaths who regularly treat older adults. This cross-sectional, exploratory study was a secondary analysis of questionnaire data collected through a practice-based research network. The questionnaire captured osteopaths’ demographic characteristics, practice settings, and clinical management approaches. Of the 277 osteopaths who completed the questionnaire, 188 (67.9%) reported frequently treating older adults. Those most likely to do so were based in urban areas, treated wrist and …

Physical And Rheological Properties Of Bitumen Modified With Biochar, Nuha S. Mashaan, Suneth Sirinatha, Chathurika Dassanayake

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The integration of biochar into asphalt binders represents a significant advancement toward global sustainability in pavement engineering. Produced through biomass pyrolysis, biochar enables the valorization of agricultural and industrial waste while reducing dependence on petroleum-derived binder constituents. This review critically synthesizes current research regarding the impact of biochar on the physical, rheological, and aging performance of bitumen. The evidence consistently shows that biochar improves binder stiffness, raises softening points, and strengthens rutting resistance at elevated temperatures, largely due to its porous microstructure and high carbon content. Biochar-modified binders also exhibit enhanced aging resistance through the adsorption of volatile light fractions. …

Soil Organic Carbon Stocks And Sequestration Rates In Western Australia’S Mangroves, Enric Gomis, Cristian Salinas, Madison Williams-Hoffman, Nicole E. Said, Marta Sánchez Alarcón, Connor Gorham, Axel Werner, Paul S. Lavery, Karina Inostroza, Tegan Davies, Pauline F. Grierson, Sharyn Hickey, Ben Radford, Enrique Ballesteros, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Pere Masqué, Eduard Serrano, Peter I. Macreadie, Catherine E. Lovelock, Anna Lafratta, Micheli Duarte De Paula Costa, Ruth Reef, Vladimir Levchenko, Fiona Doessel, Matthew A. Hayes, Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, I. Noyan Yilmaz, Pawel Waryszak, Rory Crofts, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mangroves are widely recognized for their contribution to climate change mitigation. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of top 1-m and 30-cm soil organic carbon (OC) stocks and accumulation rates across Western Australia’s mangroves, spanning multiple bioregions, geomorphological settings, and intertidal positions. The results revealed (mean ± SE) 236 ± 13 Mg and 83 ± 4 Mg OC ha−1 in top 1-m and 30-cm soils, respectively, accumulated at 443 ± 83 and 215 ± 22 kg OC ha−1 yr−1 over the past 100 and 500 years, respectively. Mangroves across Western Australia exhibited up to 3-fold differences in top 1-m …

Study Protocol Of The Endobronchial Valves For Pneumothorax To Reduce Admission Time (Evaporate) Pilot Multicentre Randomised Clinical Trial, Nai-Chien Huan, Niranjan Ananda Setty, Ai Ling Tan, Dhaval Thakkar, Taha Huseini, Elaine Yap, Jonathan Williamson, Phan Nguyen, Paul Lilburn, Matthew Salamonsen, Arash Badiei, Matthew Ing, Sanjeevan Muruganandan, Bapti Roy, Brent Gardiner, Lonny B. Yarmus, Steven P. Walker, Y. C. Gary Lee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Pneumothorax with persistent air leak (PAL) is a debilitating condition. Patients with PAL often require prolonged chest drainage, with associated complications, such as, hospital-acquired infections, thromboembolism, and deconditioning. Endobronchial valves (EBVs) are an approved bronchoscopic treatment for PAL and may allow earlier chest tube removal and hospital discharge. Current evidence supporting the use of EBV is limited to case series and uncontrolled studies. EBVs are usually used as a last resort when other treatments failed. Whether early referral for EBV placement is feasible and can reduce hospital length of stay in patients with pneumothorax and PAL has not been …

Towards Equivalence Of Care: Integrating Custodial Settings Into Alcohol And Other Drug Strategies In Australia, Thileepan Naren, Jocelyn Chan, Sarah Pellicano, Michael Curtis, Shelley Walker, Jocelyn Jones, Jarrah Duckett, Alexander Campbell, Stuart A. Kinner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

Ecu-Malnett V2, Matthew G. Gaber, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Michael N. Johnstone

Research Datasets

ECU-MALNETT (ECU MALware NETwork Traffic) is a real world, reproducible dataset of labeled benign and malicious network flows built from the Peekaboo execution corpus. Peekaboo runs evasive malware with dynamic binary instrumentation and records raw host-level PCAPs while granting full Internet access, yielding noisy, real-world captures with background OS activity and concurrent processes. To derive trustworthy labels from these traces, we apply Construct, a baseline aware, zero-trust labeling framework. Construct first ingests a baseline capture to establish reference sets (DNS qnames, HTTP hosts, TLS SNIs, and socket endpoints) and grows a conservative benign IP pool only via whitelisted DNS resolutions. …

Neurochemical Impact Of Psychostimulants: Longitudinal Mri Analysis Of Brain Iron Content In Children With Adhd, Hugo A.E. Morandini, Sjoerd B. Vos, Paola Chivers, Tim J. Silk, Pradeep Rao

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in school-aged children and has been associated with impaired brain iron homeostasis. Evidence has shown that psychostimulant treatment may affect brain iron content in children with ADHD, however, longitudinal evidence remains limited. The present longitudinal study investigated the effect of psychostimulant treatment duration and age at treatment onset on brain iron content in children with ADHD. Methods: Neuroimaging and phenotypical data were collected from the publicly available Oregon ADHD-1000 dataset. After screening, data from 29 psychostimulant-medicated children with ADHD and 38 neurotypical children were included. Individual General Estimating Equation (GEE) …

Assessing Transdisciplinary Work-Integrated Learning For Sustainable Development: A Programmatic Approach, Denise Jackson, Claire Lambert, Sonja Coetzee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This conceptual article responds to the growing need for universities to embed sustainability education within programs to develop graduates capable of addressing complex global challenges. Drawing on the literature relating to education for sustainable development, transdisciplinary work-integrated learning (TWIL), programmatic assessment, and the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), it explores how assessment can support the development and evaluation of capabilities required for sustainable development. TWIL is presented as a curriculum-based pedagogy in which students and academics from multiple disciplines collaborate with external partners to address authentic environmental, social, and economic sustainability challenges. The article argues for a programmatic …

Modernisation In Artisanal And Small-Scale Mining (Asm): Governance, Technology, Market Integration And Contested Development Pathways, Michael Mayom Ajith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is increasingly recognised as a critical source of livelihoods and minerals required for the global energy transition. Yet despite decades of formalisation, the sector remains highly informal, with uneven governance, gender bias and persistent inequality due to a multitude of reasons. Therefore, this systematic integrative review analyses the interplay of governance, technological modernisation and market integration factors in shaping ASM modernisation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from an interdisciplinary perspective. Sixty-five peer-reviewed studies published between 2006 and 2026 were analysed using a thematic synthesis and Gioia-inspired coding. Six interrelated questions about the drivers behind informality, licensing …

Thermal Management Of Heat Sinks Equipped With Internal Cooling Mechanism: A Comparison With Advanced Heat Dissipation Techniques, Saif Ullah Khalid, Muhammad Ali Nasir, Mehmet Karahan, Muhammad Saleem Khan, Furqan Jamil

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Thermal management devices aim to remove extra heat from heat generation devices. There are numerous ways of heat rejection from the source, including active and passive cooling. The cooling techniques may be natural or forced, and the popular tools are heat pipes, heat sinks, and heat exchangers. In this piece of literature, several heat pipe and heat sink configurations are tested, including a novel internally cooled configuration using mono and hybrid nanofluids. Among heat sinks, solid finned and hollow finned configurations are mainly compared with the state-of-the-art heat pipes and thermal management systems for broader comparisons. Solid cylindrical fins are …

An Investigative Approach Leveraging Digital Twin Technology For A Cnc Machine, Anand Valiavalappil

Yanbu Journal of Engineering and Science

Digital twin technology has emerged as an effective approach for improving the monitoring, validation, and optimization of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining operations. This study presents an investigative framework integrating Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) methodologies for diagnosing and rectifying machining defects in CNC systems using the digital twin - virtual model (component and asset twins). Four machining experiments were conducted using Aluminum 6061-T6, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Brass, and Stainless Steel (AISI 304) on an EMCO CNC machine integrated with Siemens 840D controls. The first two experiments, involving turning and drilling operations, are presented in detail; the …

Investigating How Personal Values Shape Tourism Experiences: A Case Study Of The Irish National Stud And Gardens, Amy Monahan, Ann T. Conway

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

This Paper explores the relationship between personal values and tourism experiences  that are  satisfying. A case study of the Irish National Stud and Gardens was undertaken in order to explore this concept. Interviews were conducted to investigate how qualities of the attraction appealed to the visitors’ personal values, thereby enhancing the overall visitor experience. A set of personal values were identified which were specific to the destination. The research demonstrated how an understanding of personal values can assist attractions with various aspects of their operations, with context specific recommendations provided at the end. This approach was taken was taken to …

Exploring The Backgrounds, Experiences, Motivations, And Development Of School-Based Wheelchair Sport Coaches, Deborah Shapiro, Scott Douglas, Jp Barfield, Laurie A. Malone

Journal of Coach Development

Coaching in adapted sport is a complex and demanding practice that requires both specialized technical expertise and a deep understanding of disability. This study explored the motivations, backgrounds, and developmental pathways of interscholastic school-based wheelchair sport coaches. We examined how coaches are introduced to wheelchair sport coaching, their initial and ongoing development, and their perspectives on effective coaching and training practices. A total of 17 coaches (10 men, 7 women) with 1 to 17 years of experience in wheelchair sports coaching from 7 interscholastic wheelchair sports teams participated in one 60-minute mini focus group discussion and responded to a set …

Coming Soon To A Cellar Near You: Novel Range Expansion Of A Short-Bodied Cellar Spider, Physocyclus Enaulus (Araneae: Pholcidae), In A Building In Central Illinois, Usa, Ricky Gieser, Mark Davis

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A reproductive population of Physocyclus enaulus Crosby, 1926 (Pholcidae: Araneae), a short-bodied cellar spider native to the American southwest and Mexico, is documented for the first time in a single building in Illinois, far outside of their known native range. The means of introduction is unknown but is likely influenced by either accidental hitchhiking spiders or a deliberate introduction to control brown recluse populations. Cellar spiders were purchased and released in the same building to predate on brown recluse spiders, but the first P. enaulus individual was found a year prior to the release. These cellar spiders have a wide-ranging …

New Wisconsin State Records For Predatory Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae), Daniel K. Young

The Great Lakes Entomologist

In Wisconsin, no published literature species records for the keroplatid genera Keroplatus and Proceroplatus exist (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae). New state records are presented for Keroplatus carbonarius Bosc, Keroplatus clausus Coquillett, Keroplatus militaris Johannsen and Proceroplatus elegans (Coquillett). The new records are associated largely with Malaise trap samples from Hemlock Draw (The Nature Conservancy), in the Baraboo Hills of Sauk County, and a Malaise trap at Kemp Natural Resources Station, in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Two specimens of K. clausus and a single specimen of K. militaris discovered within the research collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are also reported. The specimens …

First Records Of The Rare Nearctic Water Boatman Palmacorixa Janeae (Hemiptera: Corixidae) In The United States, Kurt L. Schmude, Gerald Shepard, Adam Frankiewicz

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We report the first record of the rare water boatman, Palmacorixa janeae Brooks (Hemiptera: Corixidae), from the United States. Two hundred and forty specimens were collected in Wisconsin from Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior. Palmacorixa gillettei Abbott, a similar species known from the area, was also identified among the samples. Most specimens, all of which were adults, were collected at night using a neuston net towed along the surface for approximately 5 minutes. The adults were found in areas that were 34 meters to 4.2 kilometers from the shore that had depths ranging from 1.0 to 5.5 meters. All representatives …

Seasonal Emergence, Egg Gallery Characteristics, And Natural Enemies Of The Eastern Ash Bark Beetle, Hylesinus Aculeatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), In Michigan, Robert A. Haack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Hylesinus aculeatus Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) commonly infests the trunks and limbs of recently dead, dying, or cut ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in eastern North America. In the Great Lakes region, H. aculeatus is univoltine, overwinters as adults, breeds in late spring and early summer, and constructs transverse biramous egg galleries. I sampled trunk and branch sections from three small-diameter white ash (F. americana L.) trees that were cut in April 1986 in Ingham County, Michigan, and then naturally infested by H. aculeatus and associates. Bolts cut from these trees and placed in an outdoor rearing cage in …

Phenology Of Ground-Dwelling Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Staphylinidae) From Three Fir Stands Of Southern Québec (Canada), With Comparison Among Selected Species Between 1985 And 2006-2010, Claire Levesque, Gilles-Yvon Levesque

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A total of 5,303 adult epigaeic beetles (Coleoptera) were collected using pitfall traps across three balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller) stands in southern Québec (Canada). Sampling occurred during May–September 1985 in sites representing three distinct understory vegetation types. Three dominant families (Carabidae, Leiodidae and Staphylinidae) together represented at least 93% of catches at each site. Staphylinidae were less abundant than Carabidae at two sites, whereas Carabidae and Staphylinidae were collected in similar numbers at a third stand. Associated with increased abundance and heterogeneity of the understory vegetation, we observed 1) the decrease of specialist forest carabids, often active …

Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Assemblages From The Southern Laurentian Highlands, Québec (Canada), David C. Houghton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The caddisflies (Trichoptera) represent an important taxon for the natural functioning of aquatic ecosystems and as biological monitoring organisms; however, basic information on their assemblages is still lacking in Canada. In this study, adult caddisflies from 30 lakes and streams in the southern Laurentian Highlands of Québec were sampled during 2023–2025. A total of 186 caddisfly species were determined, including 22 species not previously reported from Québec and eight not previously reported from anywhere in Canada. Two species of Cernotina also represented the first collection of that genus within the province. Using Indicator Species Analysis, six species indicated small rivers, …

Paper Wasp Species Polistes Fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Tracks Urban Lead (Pb) Levels More Than Polistes Dominula, Lindsey R. Kemmerling, Anna L. Lovat, Allison A. Hanka, Emilie C. Snell-Rood

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Lead (Pb) is a persistent, toxic pollutant with widespread but inequitably distributed impacts, especially for humans in urban areas. The impacts of lead pollution on other organisms is largely unknown, even as they commonly experience exposure to lead alongside humans. We tested hypotheses regarding the lead concentrations of paper wasps across a gradient of pollution relative to soil and human lead levels, and correlations with wasp body condition. We collected two species of paper wasp across an urban gradient of lead pollution: Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), native to our study location, and Polistes dominula (Christ), nonnative to our study …

Long-Term Monitoring And Response Of Papaipema Sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Prescribed Fire In Michigan (Usa), Gregory J. Norwood, Logan M. Rowe, Brett A. Degregorio, David L. Cuthrell, Aaron D. Meredith, Steven M. Gray

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Culver’s root borer moth (Papaipema sciata) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a rare Noctuid that requires Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) to complete its lifecycle within remnant native grasslands and open woodlands in the midwest and northeast United States. We report on 26 years of monitoring this species’ colonization of Culver’s root stems at Algonac State Park (ASP) in Michigan, where prairies have been maintained by prescribed fire since 1990. P. sciata is considered fire sensitive because eggs spend the dormant season in the combustible prairie litter and duff near host plants. The objectives were to determine the …

Could The European Thanasimus Formicarius Outcompete The North American Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) If Introduced To North America?, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A federal quarantine was enacted in the United States (US) in the fall of 1992 in response to discovery of the Eurasian pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in July 1992 in Ohio. The quarantine regulated movement of pine products (e.g., Christmas trees, nursery stock, and logs) at the county level from infested to uninfested US states. A classical biological program was considered for T. piniperda starting in 1995, focusing on the Eurasian clerid beetle Thanasimus formicarius (L.), an important predator of T. piniperda. Concerns were raised in 1996 that if T. formicarius were released in the …

Fecundity Of Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Rebounds After A Period Of Prey Scarcity, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We field-collected Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) adults during spring, maintained them separately in the laboratory, and initially gave them four bark beetle adults [Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) or Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)] daily as prey. Using a subset of the female clerids (N = 41), we assigned them to one of four feeding groups that varied in the number of prey provided daily. For the first four weeks of a 12–week study, the four diets were: four prey daily, two prey daily, one prey daily, and one prey every 2 days. After four weeks, all females were …

Distribution And Status Of Silphium Herb Gall Wasps (Cynipoidea: Aulacideini: Antistrophus) And Their Associated Endophytic Communities In Wisconsin, Richard A. Henderson, Louis F. Nastasi, Jay Watson, Scott Sauer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

At least six described species of the herb gall wasp genus Antistrophus Walsh (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Aulacideini) are dependent on the plant genus Silphium L., a plant group emblematic of now-endangered Midwestern tallgrass prairies. The distribution and conservation status of Antistrophus gall wasps is mostly a mystery, and these insects have only recently been recorded from Wisconsin. We surveyed the state for Antistrophus gall wasps on four Silphium species, whole-leaf rosinweed (S. integrifolium Michx.), compass plant (S. laciniatum L.), cup plant (S. perfoliatum L.), and prairie dock (S. terebinthinaceum Jacq.) to determine their distribution and abundance in Wisconsin. We report new …

Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Art for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

Cover Pages For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Pages for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2